Death of Several Soldiers and Militants in Turkey's Army Clash with PKK

In the continuation of the wave of violence and clashes in southern Turkey, on Friday, May 12, eight soldiers from the Turkish army and six members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) lost their lives. Reuters reports, citing the Turkish army, that on Friday, eight soldiers were killed in southeastern Turkey, which has a predominantly Kurdish population. The Associated Press states that the number of Turkish soldiers killed in this recent wave of violence is ten. Reuters also reported that six soldiers were killed on Friday in clashes with PKK militants in Hakkari province, and eight soldiers were wounded. Two other soldiers died in the same province due to an incident involving a military helicopter. Kurdish regions in southeastern Turkey have witnessed several explosions and clashes between Turkish official forces and militants over the past year, particularly in May. For instance, on Sunday, May 1, a bomb explosion in Gaziantep, located in southeastern Turkey, resulted in the death of a police officer and injuries to 23 others; on the same day, three soldiers were killed and 14 others injured in an attack in Mardin province. The Turkish army also announced on Tuesday, May 3, that PKK militants attacked a military base in southeastern Turkey, resulting in the deaths of two Turkish soldiers and five Kurdish militants. Since the two-year ceasefire between the Turkish government and the PKK was violated last year, Turkish state forces have launched a severe campaign against the PKK in southeastern Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated this month that in recent battles, 355 members of the Turkish security forces and over five thousand PKK members have died; this figure has not yet been independently verified. In this context, a bomb explosion in Diyarbakir, Turkey, left three dead and 45 injured.